Rice County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. Its county seat and largest city is Lyons. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 9,427. The county was named in memory of Samuel Allen Rice, Brigadier-General, United States volunteers, killed April 30, 1864, at Jenkins Ferry, Arkansas.

U.S. Route 56 is an east–west United States highway that runs for approximately 640 miles (1,030 km) in the Midwestern United States. US 56's western terminus is at Interstate 25 Business, US 412 and New Mexico State Road 21 in Springer, New Mexico and the highway's eastern terminus is at US 71 in Kansas City, Missouri. Much of it follows the Santa Fe Trail.